Return of the Blue Spirit
by Elenar Thorn
Summary: This story takes place after 315. Mai and Ty Lee are sent to a Fire Nation prison, but little do they know that they will not be there for long.Rated T for voilence and hints of suicide. This is my first FanFic so please tell me how I can improve.
1. Chapter 1

Return of the Blue Spirit

I know this would never happen but I thought it would be a neat idea.

Two days had passed since two friends attacked their princess and were sentenced to a life in prison. Ty Lee and Mai were waiting to arrive back to the Fire Nation were they would be spending the remainder of their lives in a dingy cell. The ship that was carrying them was old and in desperate need of some cleaning, but this went unnoticed by the prisoners who were savoring the possible last moments of sunshine that they would see. The deck of the ship was unusually crowded with two chained girls surrounded by a dozen guards who gave up standing at attention hours ago. The friends sat on the ground, chained back to back so they could not communicate without being noticed. This was unneeded for neither of them were much in the chatting mood. Mai just stared in the distance wondering if Zuko made it to safety while Ty Lee stared at her hands as if to say, _"What have you two gotten me into now?" _

Ty Lee found her hands start to become distorted as tears welled up in her large grey orbs. Mai could feel her friend shake in silent sobs and wondered why a free spirit like hers would run the risk of becoming chained down just for her? _"She even struck Azula, the one who she feared and loved the most!" _Mai sighed and turned her head as much as she could to her friend and said, "I owe you my life, you know" and at that moment Ty Lee knew whatever horrors that would come because of her actions would be well worth it.

On the trail of the Avatar:

_Azula, Ty Lee and Mai were closing in on the Avatar's trail and they were surely going to catch him before they made it to Ba Sing Se. They decided to rest in a town for a night when they passed a wall with wanted posters covering the surface of it. One picture especially caught Mai's eye as she tore it away from the stone. "The Blue Spirit: considered highly dangerous using duel swords and as rumors have stated, firebending." Azula and Ty Lee looked back at their friend who had stopped dead in her tracks. Ty Lee snatched the paper from the knife thrower and gasped, "ZUKO!" Azula looked over the acrobat's shoulder and took a glance at what was captivating her friend's attention, because a glance is all she needed. "Well, it looks like ZuZu has dawned on his childhood persona." Ty Lee giggled at the thought, "Oh Azula remember when we played in the gardens and he would always be the Blue Spirit and you were always the Sapphire Dragon? Oh remember how much fun it was when we would pick sides and fight, but somehow Mai and Zuko would disappear in the middle of it" Ty Lee added with a smirk while Mai took back the wanted poster and turned to cover a blush."Enough Ty Lee" Azula said will __chilling power, "thoughts like those will hinder your ability to do what is necessary when we confront the traitor." _

Mai and Ty Lee arrived at the metal gates of the prison after sunset. The guards led them to their separate cells, but luckily they were right next to each other and the walls were thin. Mai would usually hate the certainty that she would get no sleep thanks to the bubbly girl next door's everlasting babble, but now she would be glad to even hear a complete sentence from her friend through the wall. Hours passed while they lay in their cells, neither even trying to fall asleep with the frequent visitors from rats and guards who were even more revolting than the rats. Every half hour the door would slam open reveling a silhouette of a bulk guard that grunted "checks" then slammed the door closed. Mai could hear him do the same in Ty Lee's room just seconds later. Mai stared at the wall she thought pointed east and wondered if she would be able to see the sun through any crack in the foundation. Mai never liked the sun, she actually despised it with the whole of her being but now the thought of streaming light did not seem that unbearable. After the guard left their rooms for the eleventh time (Mai had nothing better to do than count) she could hear Ty Lee moving to the wall that connected them. _"Finally, some signs of life!" _Mai knew Ty Le could not stay silent for long, not matter how depressing the circumstances were.

"…Mai?" It was barley more than a whisper but Mai could hear her friend crystal clear. "I'm here Ty Lee." Said in they driest voice she could find. Ty Lee sighed and moved closer to the wall, "I wish your uncle worked at this prison, then maybe he could sneak us out with the laundry or something." There was a slight chuckle with the end of her sentence and they both knew is would be no time until Ty Lee was back to normal. "You obviously did not know my uncle. Him letting a prisoner escape would be as likely as Zuko's Blue Spirit coming to rescue us."


	2. Chapter 2

Return of the Blue Spirit Chapter 2

Mai started to doze off when she heard an obnoxious alarm go off while the cell doors were opened simultaneously. Ty Lee never left the blade master's side for a moment while they walked toward the mess hall where their first meal would be served (that is if you could call it a meal). Mai watched her flexible friend closely as they ate (or rather tried their best to keep down the slop they were handed) and it seemed that much of Ty Lee's lost light was returned to her eyes. Mai did not believe in auras but she could tell the countenance of a person through their eyes. The mess hall was surprisingly quiet except for a group of girls around their same age were eyeing them and speaking in scheming whispers. _'So we are going to have problems on our first day? Maybe this place won't be as dull as I expected.' _

After breakfast they were told to go into the courtyard, and this courtyard was nothing compared to the Boiling Rock… it was small and covered in mold only being watched by a handful of guards on top of the fence. Later Ty Lee noticed that they may have been over staffed because the fence that surrounded the prison had jagged spikes coming off it much like if it were covered by a giant rusty thorn bush. There was no way even someone as flexible as herself could last five minutes on that wall. Mai and Ty Lee found an empty bench on the other side of the courtyard where everyone else seemed to be gathering. "Mai, do you think Azula will change her mind and let us go?" Mai knew the answer and she knew that Ty Lee knew the answer but Ty Lee was not looking for the truth right now, she was looking for hope… even if that hope was an obvious lie, "Yes Ty Lee, I think…" but the knife thrower was cut off by the approach of eight girls around the same age as their own with the look of murder on their faces. Mai nudged her thoughtful friend and motioned to the oncoming strangers, Ty Lee looked up with a confident smirk knowing that she and Mai could handle any threat.

"Do you remember us?" asked the tallest girl who seemed to be the leader, though she did not seem comfortable in the position. "No, should we?" Mai asked, she wanted to be more threatening and give them an insult or two but decided that there would most likely be enough trouble without her contributing to it. "Well Kyoshi Warriors take the time to remember the faces of those that fell at our hands" said another girl in their pack. _'Kyoshi Warriors… I know that sounds familiar' _Ty Lee thought as she wracked her brain to try to remember who these seeming clone like girls were. "Then it would be very easy to remember all of your fallen foes because you have none, three against nine and we still won." Mai had a face of satisfaction as she saw the second warrior have to be held back by her peers. "I REMEMBER YOU!! You were the ones we beat and then we took your uniforms so we could infiltrate Ba Sing Se and conquered it for the Fire Nation!" It seemed that Ty Lee was too proud of herself for remembering the identities of these girls to notice the words coming out of her own mouth. Mai let a long drawn out sigh and addressed their seemingly part-time leader, "So what do you want with us, revenge? I would have you know that it was because of us that your leader escaped the Boiling Rock." Mai felt no connection to the girl named Suki, but she hoped that her escape would get these fan girls 

out of her hair for a while. "Suki is free, how?" asked another warrior. _'Oh please don't make me tell that boring story… it is just a waste of…' _but Mai's mental complaint was cut short by Ty Lee who seemed to be very happy to tell all the tiniest details of their betrayal. It seemed that the warrior clones were very interested, and their previous encounter involving the sky bison was considered a thing of the past.

They had spent just a little over a week in that prison and Ty Lee and the Kyoshi Warriors were seeming to become best friends. Though now she was kept up all night by the acrobat's ramblings Mai was just glad to have Ty Lee back, because two depressed friends was pushing the limit. After their last meal of the day all the prisoners were ushered back into their cells; but on the way back into hers, Mai caught a glimpse of a shadow around the high rocks that towered over the prison walls. Ty Lee looked back at her slender friend and gave her a questioning look. "It's nothing Ty Lee, I thought I saw something." Mai took another long look outside the window before the bulky guard pushed her to move along. "Mai, your aura has been getting darker over the past few days, is something wrong?" Mai looked at her concerned friend and said with a confident voice, "First of all, there is no such thing as auras. And if my aura is looking bleak then it could have something to do with lack of sleep!" Ty Lee gasped at her friend, "Oh Mai, why aren't you sleeping well!? Are you sick?" Mai rolled her eyes as they went into their separate cells for the night, and without hesitation a whisper could be heard from the wall, "Mai, you did not answer my question, are you sick?"

There was Mai, now he knew where their cells were. Only a few rays of light were left of the day while a creature silently stalked the outside of the prison walls. The main gates closed as the gong sounded; in 24 hours the Blue Spirit would rise again to lay waste to that miserable prison. The only thing to do now was wait and watch.


	3. Chapter 3

Return of the Blue Spirit Chapter Three

"Zuzu, no fair!" Azula screamed at her older brother. "Why can't I have a mask? The Sapphire Dragon can beat the Blue Spirit any day!" Zuko looked down at his five year old sister and smirked behind his wooden mask, "Dragons don't need masks, because they don't need to be sneaky. The Blue Spirit needs the stealth to right wrongs and fight injustice in the world!" Zuko exclaimed while being a tad over dramatic. "Well at least a dragon is not bound by that blind law of justice, a dragon can do anything it pleases to obtain its goal." Zuko fell silent at this remark as did Ty Lee and Mai who were playing just a few yards away. _'Mother was right; there is something wrong with her!'_

With watchful eyes the Spirit took note of every movement from the guards and every weakness in the prison's structure. Though the prison seemed old and weak, there was no way to scale any part of the wall. The Spirit knew there were only two ways inside; the front gate or clear over the wall. The Spirit chose the less direct path and all It needed to do now was wait till sundown to spill the blood of those jailers.

The day went as all the other days went; wake up, eat, go to the courtyard, eat, back to the courtyard, eat and then return to the cells. The prisoners here were very boring as well; mostly peace loving prisoners of war who wanted to bring balance back to the world…. Mai was about to die from boredom. Ty Lee was with the Kyoshi Warriors and they were discussing how to become an official Warrior. _'These girls must be kindred spirits with Ty Lee in order for her to willingly become part of a matched set,'_ Mai thought while staring off into the horizon. At that moment she saw the shadow again, only this time it moved to the tallest point of the surrounding rocks. Mai blinked and the shadow was gone.

'_Crap, how does she keep spotting me?'_

Mai rubbed her eyes; no doubt despair had taken her and was causing hallucinations of a rescuer. She knew she would never leave these gates and it was foolish to think otherwise. Ty Lee saw her friend's aura change and ran over to embrace her in a bone crushing hug. "Get off of me!" but Ty Lee held strong, "We ARE going to get out of here Mai, please don't ever think otherwise." Mai sighed, it wasn't 

an agreement, but she didn't protest so that was a start! Ty Lee gave one more squeeze and released her hostage. The warning gong rang out and the prisoners got up to return to their cells. _'This place is suffocating me, if only Ty Lee weren't here I could be rid of this jail as well as this body,' _but even Mai knew that if she took her life the little acrobat's world would be shattered. She had done too much to keep her friend alive to see her throw it away in a bloody heap by her own hand. Mai took one last look at the top of the rocks where she had last seen the shadow before she was roughly shoved by a guard to the ground.

Mai looked up at the Spirit's position, but there was no way she could see It… right? The Spirit peered down again only to see Mai being forced to the ground by a bulky looking guard, but Mai never fought back and just got up to go to her cell. The Spirit could feel the anger within Itself growing until It just had to look away to contain It's self. _'I will take extra enjoyment in your death, that I can promise you.'_ The gong was about to sound for complete lock down. The Spirit rose to It's feet and readied an arrow to the bow string, the Blue Spirit was not a master archer but It was good enough to create a passage to the prison. The Spirit exhaled and took It's stance, the first gong sounded and the spirit released the arrow toward the highest peak of the prison. It was a direct hit and the Spirit caught the rope in time to tie it off. The Spirit knew this would be a one way path; It would have to be a bit more direct to escape the stronghold. The gong had five rings to go as the Spirit took It's bow and used it to slide down the rope. The dusk air was chilling as the Spirit slid down the rope holding onto the bow so It's hands would not burn. As the last gong sounded the Spirit landed on the ledge of one of the spires jetting up from the prison. The Spirit took a dagger from It's belt and cut the rope letting it fall into the dark.

The day was completely forgotten as the placid shadows of the night overtook the prison. This cover was needed as the Spirit moved It's way toward the perimeter guards on the top of the fence, It would need to be silent and quick in order to clear them out without sounding an alarm. The Spirit crept to the staircase that led to the upper perimeter; It could hear one guard making his was down the spiral staircase '_Good, one will be down without even being in earshot of the others._' It waited until the guard was only seconds away when It quickly spun into the sight of the victim and thrust It's dagger into his throat and before he even knew that he was in danger the Spirit jumped behind him in the staircase an snapped his neck like a twig.

Ty Lee grew more concerned for her friend everyday. She at least made friends with the Kyoshi Warriors but Mai just sat on the bench brooding her life away. Ty Lee knew that Mai was never really one to be hopeful about anything, but she had to convince her somehow that they would escape this prison life. 

She could only hope to do this before Mai decided to escape not only this prison, but also this life. Ty Lee had seen this turmoil in Mai's aura and feared every night that they separated that it would be the last time her spirit and body would be seen as one. 'Please don't leave me Mai, stay with me and everything will be alright… you'll see.'

Coated with blood and dotted with bodies, the upper perimeter was secure. Many of the lifeless corpses showed no emotion of fear or anger; they were robbed of life before they knew of the attack. The Spirit moved It's way down to the entrance of the cell block where a dimly lit tunnel created a path from the outside air to the stuffy cages where the prisoners lay in waiting. There was a single guard on patrol in the hallway. The Spirit swiftly and silently bound It's way to the pipes that ran along the top of the tunnel. With making less noise than the gentle wind caressing the mouth of the tunnel the Blue Spirit made It's way to the attentive guard until It was hovering right above the guard's head. In a quick motion the Spirit reached down, while securing It's weight in leg strength, grabbed the guard's head and snapped it. The Spirit was going to put the lifeless body on the ground when It heard another guard about to enter the tunnel.

The Spirit silently pulled up It's own weight and that of the lifeless body in It's arms and disappeared into the shadows of the pipes. The guard came into sight and was revealed to be the bulky guard standing at 7ft 3. The Spirit already vowed to take this man's life, and what better time than the present? The guard was right under the Spirit and It's fallen prey when he stopped. Something warm and wet fell to his face, he assumed it was just another leak from the pipes until he wiped it away and saw scarlet on his finger tips. His breath was stolen from him as he dared to ascend his gaze to the source or the blood; it was the most terrifying sight he would ever see; a lifeless friend with a small stream of blood emerging from his mouth, and the truly horrid creature that held him captive. It was a blue demon with black hollow eyes that bore into the soul of the guard, the demon grasped It's dagger and slit the corpse's neck in two blinding the giant below with a crimson shower. The guard heard a thud then a padded slash when the Spirit released the body and came down It's self in a shallow puddle of blood. The guard franticly tried to remove the blinding blood from his eyes until he felt a sharp pain in his midsection. The tears that ran from the guard's face cleared his eyes so he could see the demon for what it was. It was not a demon at all but a person dressed in black wearing a blue wooden mask, quite a bit shorter than himself that had impaled his body. These human features did not calm the guard but shocked him even more, 'A person? A human being… but how could…' His internal questioning came to an end when the blade sliced through his body to the jaw. His final thought was how it looked like it was smiling while his life ended.

The Spirit broke into a run after the cells that It hungered for. _'Ty Lee, Mai… I'm coming.'_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All belongs to Mike an Bryan**_

_**This is my first story so all recommendations are appreciated. I know that this never happened but I had this idea ever since I saw Boiling Rock. The OOC is intended in this story as you will see at the end of this chapter. While not as gory as the last chapter, this still has quite a bit of blood and it hints at self mutilation. Please enjoy and tell me if you liked it… or not. All reviews are welcome. **_

Return of the Blue Spirit Chapter Four

The Blue Spirit made It's way to the third floor where It knew Ty Lee and Mai were currently residing. With only the sound of distant wailing and It's own padded feet, the Spirit kept a keen ear out for the expected arrival of guards on their patrol. Beads of sweat from It's forehead were absorbed into the wooden mask as the Spirit reached the final step of It's climb. It could see three guards within four yards and knew there were two more down the hallway that will come when the slightest sound of struggle was heard.

The Spirit slid to the edge of the stairwell waiting to make It's first strike. The opportunity came as one of the guards got up and stated, "Lee has been away for too long, I better make sure he is not giving those prisoners his 'special attention' again, I wont be too long." The Spirit prepared It's dagger as the guard stumbled over toward the stairs, "Shut up in there you two," the guard said while he threw his fist on the metallic door known to be Ty Lee's cell in passing, "I swear If I hear on more peep from…" his throat was slashed before he could finish the sentence. Loud gurgled sounds came from the guard's open windpipe as he started his collapsing decent down the now bloodstained stairs. It could hear the other two guards start to rush towards the Spirit's position thinking their comrade must have tripped and fallen. The Spirit did not wait for them to come as It leaped twice and appeared behind the awestruck jailers and opened the cell door It knew to be Mai's.

_The Ember Island market was hot and crowded much to the discomfort of the couple currently passing an umbrella stand. "This sun is unbearable," Mai stated as she stopped in front of the stand, forcing her boyfriend to do the same. "I don't suppose you brought any money, did you?"The knife thrower asked in her dry voice. "No, I didn't think there would be much to purchase at the shore line," the scarred prince retorted with sarcasm. "Then could you use those Blue Spirit powers of yours?" Zuko froze in his place _

_and asked, "How do you know about that?" The prince was visibly sweating, and it was not because of the heat. "Well, you weren't very discreet about it. I mean the Blue Spirit was your hero and he just happened to pop up in the same places you have been around?" Mai added a smile to the last part. Zuko smiled back as he loosened up, "I guess it would be obvious to anyone that knew me." The couple continued down the market street as Zuko opened an umbrella to shade them from the sun. _

"Mai, if there was something wrong you would tell me, right?" the acrobat whispered to the glowering gargoyle next to her cell. _'If I don't answer she might think I'm asleep and leave me alone,' _but Mai was regretfully wrong as Ty Lee continued to try and get answers for the next hour. With a sigh Mai answered, "Ty Lee, I'm fine. I always have been fine… and I always will be fine so let me sleep!"

"Aw, but Mai you have never been fine! You have always been moody and depressed for as long as I've known you!" Ty Lee commented in an inappropriately cheerful voice.

"Could that have been because you and Azula would never stop playing tricks on me and Zuko!?" There was a bite in Mai's voice with her comment the made Ty Lee tilt her head in question.

"We were just kidding, and we eventually made it so you and Zuko would go out together didn't we? Yes we had the occasional laugh at each others expenses, but when push came to shove we were always there for one another, right?"

"**WRONG**!" Mai shouted as her voice echoed down the hall. Ty Lee mentally kicked herself for asking something like that.

"Mai… I didn't mean… I mean… I'm sorry," whispered the acrobat but she knew Mai would not say anything more tonight. _Mai has shown more emotion in this past month than in her entire life! First yelling at Azula on Ember Island, then showing genuine happiness with Zuko, and she even showed concern for me when we first got here. I hope these feelings are not too much for someone as emotionally inexperienced as Mai,' _With this thought Ty Lee put her head down to fall asleep when she heard Mai move.

"It's alright Ty Lee… I just don't want to talk about those times anymore, or ever again." Mai said. "Can we please just go to sleep?" Ty Lee wanted nothing more than the strength to break down those walls and pull Mai into her arms, but she made do with just saying, "Sure Mai, I'll see you in the morning."

With that she heard a loud metallic clash as a guard hit her door and said has he continued down the hall, "Shut up in there you two," Ty Lee felt her heart trying to free itself from her chest with each beat while the guard kept his pace, "I swear if I hear one more peep from…" Ty Lee threw herself toward the space that separated her door from the floor to get a look at the commotion outside. It sounded like the guard that was just yelling at them fell down the stairs, but that didn't explain why the other guards were drawing their weapons.

Mai heard the noise, but you could not tell she did if you saw her. She just remained motionless against her wall facing the door not even blinking when the guard shouted and fell. She was still as a statue even as she heard a new pair of feet land in front of her cell, and she barely had enough interest to look up as her cell door was opened. But as she caught sight of the intruder (whom she had seen in a wanted poster only months before) her heart skipped a beat as she whispered, "… _Zuko_?"

The Spirit only saw a glimpse of Mai before turning It's attention back to the armed guards. It leaped in the air avoiding a thrust from an incoming spear and as It landed It broke the spear in two leaving the guard holding a short splintered stick. While the guard looked as if betrayed by his castrated weapon, the Spirit kicked the stick with such force that the guard's blunt end was thrust into his entrails while he fell back and collided with the guard behind him. This four second encounter delayed the Spirit long enough for the two reserved guards came into range before It could open Ty Lee's door. The third guard joined them after he pushed to corpse of the impaled man off of him.

The four were at a stand still, _'If only I waited to open Mai's cell I could be rid of these goons in an instant.' _The stillness was broken by the guard to the Spirit's left as he yelled and charged at It with his polearm in hand. The Spirit easily used the guard's momentum against him while It thrust It's dagger into the small of his back. It then took his weapon and sent it at the next guard with such power that it pinned the guard to the wall through his chest. The Spirit turned to the final guard but held back when It saw that he had three shards of metal (they looked like arrow heads) lodged into his body. They were 

far from lethal strikes but they were enough to bring him down. As he fell, he revealed the image of Mai at the doorway of her cell carrying one of the guard's supply sacks. The Spirit wasted no time and immediately threw Ty Lee's door open.

'_Zuko, he actually came. Zuko, the Blue Spirit has come to rescue us?' _Mai could not comprehend the sight of the black clothed intruder with the blue mask so she concentrated on the rest of the scene: blood and bodies carpeted the metal floor, _'How could Zuko be so vicious? He never killed, even in the most dire of situations.' _

Ty Lee came out of her cell in one leap ready to join the fight, but as she saw that there were not opponents left she relaxed… that is until the full situation came into view. The carnage was more than the innocent girl could handle as she clasped her hands to her mouth while tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked as though she was about be sick when the lifeless guard pinned to the wall twitched. Then the acrobat looked at her rescuer, the Blue Spirit's clothes were weighed down in blood as It looked down the hallways to double check that there were no other guards on this floor. Once It knew the floor was cleared It turned back to the girls, as soon as Ty Lee saw the Blue Spirit fully she gasped while here eyes became the size as dinner plates, the Spirit had It's dagger in hand and a stripe of spotted blood across It's mask… but that is not why Ty Lee was shocked.

Mai was frozen, not out of fear but out of uncertainty of what to do. _'Should I run to him? He did just free us, but look at him! Look at the bodies! What happened to you that could turn you into something that could do this!?' _

It seemed like an eternity as they were just staring at each other not saying a word, but finally the Spirit moved It's way across the room and headed to the stairs. The Spirit was about to pass Mai when she stepped towards It, about grasp It's arm saying, "Zuko…" in a concerned voice. The Spirit quickly stepped back before she could touch It, but that was unessesary because Ty Lee took her friend's hands in hers, forcing Mai to look at her while she shook her head warning the slender girl, "Don't."

The Spirit stood at the mouth of the stairs and silently pointed down hoping that the girls would soon comply. "We can not leave without the Kyoshi Warriors," Ty Lee declared in a voice far too commanding to be her own. The Spirit slowly shook It's head and pointed again for them to go down the stairs. Ty Lee then stepped forward and took Mai's upper arm in her hand, "Either we _all_ leave or_ none_ of us leave." The Spirit lowered It's arm with a growl and looked away for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, they are on the fourth floor, this way," Ty Lee instructed with Mai's arm still in her grasp. Mai had never known 

Ty Lee to speak to anyone like this, let alone Zuko! _'She must be mad at him for being the cause of this imprisonment, but Ty Lee is not one to hold a grudge.' _Mai looked back at her Zuko wondering why he was acting so strange and why he was trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.

The trio came up the stairs to the fourth floor, and just like the third floor it had guards just around the corner from where they were. The Spirit went to the front of the group and got out It's dagger to use it as a mirror so It could see the positions of their targets. The Spirit tried to wipe off the coated blood off the dagger on It's clothing, but since It's cloths were soaked in blood all it did was smear. Ty Lee had to swallow the sick feeling in her throat as she whispered, "Give it to me." The acrobat cleaned the blade on her own clothing turning her long sleeve a darker shade of red. Mai saw her friend's face turn a different color while she stained her shirt with blood. Ty Lee gave the Spirit back It's dagger but It paused and stared at the acrobat as if It was surprised or intrigued, after a moment the Spirit turned It's gaze away from Ty Lee and to the positions of the guards.

The Spirit motioned for the girls to stay where they were as It disappeared out of sight around the corner. Mai tensed as she heard the fight and was getting up to help until Ty Lee pulled her back, "Let go, he may need our help." Mai spoke in a monotone as she usually did, but now it was not because she was bored but because she had gone completely numb from the night's events. Before Ty Lee could protest against Mai going she noticed that there was no more noise of fighting and the Spirit came into view. The girls braced themselves for what they were going to see as they rounded the corner. Just like before there was blood and bodies, but then a seemingly lifeless guard started to crawl away from them in fear. It seemed that neither of his legs were working as he left a thick red path behind him. The Spirit took two strides to catch up with him, and before Mai and Ty Lee could protest the Spirit circled It's leg in the air and brought It's heel crashing down on the man's, neck killing him instantly.

Mai stormed over to the Spirit, "What is wrong with you Zuko!?" she yelled while shoving the Spirit, "That was not defense, that was murder!" But before she could shove It a second time, the Spirit dodged her and instantly was on the other side of the room. Mai started towards It but Ty Lee intercepted. "Take that mask off and look at me, Zuko!" Mai roared while struggling against her friend, but the Blue Spirit just stood there, showing no change in emotion, just piercing her with those dark hollow eyes. "Mai… please," Ty Lee begged and pulled Mai into a hug (there was not much of a position change because of their struggle). Mai relaxed but continued to scowl at the creature in the corner.

Ty Lee glanced quickly at the Spirit and said, "They are right over here in these cells. Numbers 41 though 49." Cries of help came from all the cells from prisoners who desired freedom. The Kyoshi Warriors slowly came into the slaughter room looking very tense and suspicious. Ty Lee did a head count and 

confirmed that all were there. The Spirit broke into the guards supply closet and got hundreds of feet of rope. It tied the rope to the thickest pipe and threw the rest out the window. Ty Lee chuckled, "This is what I always did with my bed sheets when I ran away." "Yes but you were hardly two floors up, these floors are the equivalent off two normal stories. So we are eight floors up." Mai added, but it did not have the effect she thought, "Oh, is that all? I was hoping that it would be at least as high as the tight rope at the circus. Oh well, can't have everything I guess." Mai rolled her eyes as Ty Lee laughed at her friend.

By this time the Spirit tied two additional ropes off so three could escape at a time. The temporary Kyoshi leader went over to one of her girls and asked, "Do you think we can we trust this guy? I mean isn't this Zuko, the guy who burned down our home?" Another warrior answered, "What other choice do we have at the moment?" Ty Lee told the warriors to go first and then the other three would come last. All the Warriors made it down with exceptional skill, but they were in plain sight of the fence guards and Ty Lee wondered why they did not notice. _'How many lives have you taken tonight?' _Ty Lee wondered of the Spirit as they started their decent.

They were they only had half way to go as the gong started to ring out and there were shouts of guards. The warriors were well hidden, but the three still on the ropes were not so lucky. Arrows were coming at the like the rain and the three quickened their pace. They only had a third left when an arrow cut clean through the Spirit and Mai's rope, the Spirit's rope was cut below where It was and Mai' was cut above. The Spirit quickly grabbed her arm while Ty Lee slid down the rest of the way (causing her hands to bleed from the rope burn) so she could catch her friend. Mai's heart was in her throat as she almost lost her grip, but the Spirit wrapped It's leg around the rope and reached for Mai with It's other arm. At first It missed her arm and tore off her sleeve but It's second try succeeded and she was secure while the Spirit was completely upside down and trying to keep the rope around It's leg. The Spirit seethed in pain as It could feel the thick rope cut into It's skin. The Spirit looked down to see if Ty Lee and the others were ready when It caught sight of Mai's exposed arm.

Long, deep, straight cuts ran all across Mai's skin, it looked as if her own nails caused these injuries. But the Spirit could not focus on these long because just as Ty Lee and the warriors were ready below, two arrows struck the Spirit. One was just a graze on It's leg, but the other struck deep into the Spirit's side. Blood was already snaking its way down the Spirit's arm and making contact with Mai when It could not hold on any more and let go. Mai landed safely with the help of Ty Lee but the Spirit's body came down with a sickening thud. The warriors were already engaging the guards in combat and they could not help but notice that there were far too few guards, there were less than half than usual and this gave them a fighting chance. Ty Lee and Mai ran to the Blue Spirit, both thinking It would be dead but neither of them were too surprised when they heard a painstaking grunt while the Spirit tried to stand.

With the help of the girls the Spirit leaned against the wall gasping for breath. "We have to get the arrow out," Mai stated as if she were speaking about the weather. The blade master took hold of the arrow's end and pulled it out with perfect precision. _'She may know as much about the human body as me!' _thought Ty Lee before she was distracted by the sound of anguish coming from the Spirit as It's body was freed from the sharp intruder. The Kyoshi Warriors were fighting five to one and still winning. The Spirit had It's head down while taking deep breaths as It regained It's strength. Ty lee was about to join her friends when she noticed Mai reaching for the Spirit's mask, she was about to protest until the Spirit grabbed Mai's hand and shoved it away. The Blue Spirit pushed It's self off the wall leaving a large spot of blood on the stone and started to walk toward the fighting. There was a slight limp and It was slower than usual but other than that the Spirit seemed fine.

Cries of suffering and pain came from the battle ground that was once a prison, the Kyoshi Warriors proved themselves to be among the best fighters any had seen. _'I wonder if they are remembering the faces of all these men that they are defeating,' _Mai thought with a smirk as she disposed of two more guards. Only now did she notice that the Blue Spirit did not have It's swords nor did It firebend. "Zuko! We really need some fire right now!" Mai yelled as the Spirit got done with the guard It was fighting. The Spirit looked at Mai for a moment and then continued to fight with It's daggers (It had picked another one up from a guard that would not be needing it anymore). The tide of the battle was turning as a warrior lost a hand and they had not advanced an inch. It had been ten minutes since the fight started and everyone was getting tired. "ZUKO! Why wont you firebend!?" Mai was screaming at this point while the warrior who lost her hand collapsed from blood loss. Ty Lee was taking on three men at this point and did not see the fourth until he threw what seemed to be a fish net on her. "Mai!" Ty Lee yelled as both the knife thrower and the Blue Spirit turned to the acrobat in distress. Mai immediately ran to her friend but was cut off by a guard that had an axe with a blade wider than a head of a rhino.

Ty Lee screamed for help in between her sobs while three guards beat her savagely with their clubs. The Blue Spirit shook in rage and frustration, It seemed to be having a battle within It's own skin. The Spirit fell to It's knees holding It's ears as if every whimper from Ty Lee was causing a deafening screech. Mai looked back at the Spirit with confusion and anger before she had to dodge another blow from the axe, _'What in Agni's name is he doing!?'_ With a few deep breaths the Spirit finally stopped its shaking. Releasing the hold on It's ears, the Spirit rose to It's feet. Time seemed to have slowed as the Blue Spirit clawed It's way toward Ty Lee. The battle lost it's sound as the Spirit let out a pure animalistic roar and leaped into the air. Ty Lee's attackers looked up with horror as they saw a demon flying towards them, but what everyone saw next would be far more terrifying than anything they had witnessed that night. Upon landing, the Blue Spirit used the momentum to unleash two massive waves of fire from It's palms leaving half the field in a hellfire of flames…_ blue flames._

The surviving guards looked on in awe and terror at the magic this demon could produce, but the prisoners just looked on in terror as they realized who was behind the mask.

_**Author's Note**_

_**As Robot Chicken's M Night Shamilan says… What A Twist! Was the twist too obvious though? I really suck at dialog and romantic stuff, so I can only imagine how much of a pain it was to read the Ember Island flashback. Please tell me what I can do better and/ or if you liked this idea. I'm thinking about adding two more chapters, one including Azula's aftermath so please keep reading. Chapter five should be up soon. **_


	5. Chapter 5

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**I can finally stop calling the Blue Spirit "it"! That got so annoying, and I can only imagine how annoying it was to read. There is almost no blood; there is no suicide, no cutting and very vague violence. I did not enjoy writing this chapter as much as the others, but that is because I pushed what I was looking forward to writing to the next chapter. Please tell me what I can do better please, or just say if you enjoyed the story. I know that Azula is almost painfully out of character, but please bear with me… you will understand why it had to be like this.**

Return of the Blue Spirit Chapter Five

'_It feels so good to get out of those dreadful Kyoshi uniforms and back into my own cloths,' Azula thought as she observed her Dai Lee agents attempt to reconstruct the entrance to their headquarters under Lake Laogai. The water lapped at her curved-toed boots as the agents caused the ground under the lake to rise while turning the water tan with the unsettled mud. While the water cleared Azula caught sight of an odd object in the lake, not too far from the jetted piece of bended earth she was sanding on. _

"_You there," Azula barked at the nearest Dai Lee agent, "Bring up that item from the lake to me." The agent only succeeded in causing the water to get murky because there was too much water to bend the earth under it. _

"_I apologize princess; it would seem the object can not be reached." The agent was about to turn away when Azula grabbed his sleeve with such strength that her nails cut thru the fabric and into his flesh, "I did not specify how you were to get it, now follow my orders!" With this Azula threw the agent into the lake. When he came up for air he was met with a blast of blue fire hitting the water near his head causing intense steam to rise. _

_The agent submerged himself under the surface and did not emerge for almost two minutes. Azula, thinking the man had drowned, was about to call another agent when a sharp gasp was heard behind her. The agent delivered the object to the princess and caught his breath before crawling back on the rebuilt entrance way. _

_Azula's face broke into a devilish smirk as she analyzed the blue item. It was a simple wooden mask, the carvings were not spectacular and it was only painted in simple blue and traces of white, but the princess knew exactly how special this simple piece of driftwood was, 'Finders keepers, Zuzu.'_

For the first time in her life, Azula cursed the Spirits for giving her blue fire. She made a visual sweep of the field and saw that her enemies, even the ones she was fighting beside, had a sheer look of terror plastered to their faces.

'…_Azula,' _Mai thought as she looked at the masked figure with new eyes. She felt as if someone had replaced her blood with water from the North Pole as she tried to remember how to speak. The courtyard had gone completely silent as the blue flames cooled down to red. Quiet coughing, like that of a kitten when they get a mouthful of dust, erupted from under a scorched fish net. The three men that were beating Ty Lee were reduced to smoldering coals around the acrobat who was weakly attempting to be free of the net.

Mai noticed that Ty lee's eyes were still closed. _'She closed her eyes while she was captured and has not opened them since, she still thinks that is Zuko!'_ Mai thought as she saw Azula walk towards the acrobat. Mai was closer and got to Ty Lee before the prodigy was within ten feet; she pulled her soot covered friend up while preparing to launch three arrow heads at her princess.

"Get back you monster!" Mai threatened as her friend regained enough balance to stand. "Mai what are you doing!?" the Ty Lee asked her support while finding the strength to stand on her own.

"That's not Zuko, its Azula!" Mai declared while never breaking her gaze at the princess. Ty Lee turned her sight to Azula who, even with her eyes still blurry from the ash could tell, was 

looking away with her fists trembling. Ty Lee knew that Azula was trying to hold back her fury at being called a monster. Ty Lee felt a twinge of pity enter her heart as she lowered her head.

"I… I know Mai," Ty Lee said in a raspy voice as both Azula and Mai snapped their attention to her, "I knew all along." Mai was about to question her friend but in the corner of her eye she could see Azula about to release a dagger at them. Mai dived down, dragging Ty Lee with her, as she made her weapons ready to unleash on the prodigy. Mai was in mid throw before a sound behind from behind stopped her dead.

The guard that Mai was fighting with the overcompensating axe was about to strike Ty Lee and herself until Azula's dagger cut through the wood of his handle causing the blade to come down with such force on its master's back, that Mai could see a sliver of steel projecting itself through his chest. The girls felt the earth below them tremble as the guard fell to the ground.

The warriors had been standing in defensive stances ever since they saw the fiery tidal wave of blue. Less than twenty guards were capable of continuing the fight, and they must have thought those were good odds as they attacked as one unit shouting and razing their weapons. The warriors reluctantly took their focus off Azula and met the remaining guards in combat. Azula did not turn to assist them, and from what she saw that night she knew they would not need her.

Mai dusted herself off while she helped Ty Lee rise to her feet, "What are you doing here!? Did you want to kill us yourself!?" Mai's eyes shown with fiery fury that neither Ty Lee nor Azula had ever seen from her. "What, was a lifetime of imprisonment not harsh enough!? Why can't you just leave us ALONE?" Azula stayed silent as she looked down from the raging assassin.

"Mai, I don't know why she is here but so far it does not look like she wants to harm us." Ty Lee's eyes never wavered from Azula while she spoke, but unlike Mai who looked on with disgust and rage, Ty Lee had almost a concerned look directed at her princess. "I'm not saying that we should trust her, I just think we should put this off until _after _we escape." Ty Lee looked up at her ridged friend with shy smile that could barley be made out because her face was mostly covered in back soot from Azula's flames.

The warriors barley got finished with their opponents when they heard Mai demanding, "Alright, how to you plan to get us out?" Mai kept her weapons in hand as Azula started to gather electricity at her finger tips. The darkness made the blue lightning dance in the most beautiful way that Ty Lee had never seen before. A deafening clasp sounded as the lower half of the great metal gate disappeared.

A few guards seemed to have made their way to the roof of the prison and started unleashing arrows towards the girls. They were not accomplished marksmen by any means but they did pose a threat, a minimal threat but a threat none the less. The three Fire Nation natives moved to the agape twisted metal until Ty Lee noticed that the warriors were slacking behind.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Ty Lee exclaimed as those words brought a painful tightness in Azula's chest. The three stopped and looked back at the girls that were in some sort of huddle around… what looked like a body. "Zin is losing too much blood, we can't move her!" Ty Lee was about to return to her friends when a dark blur of Azula sped by her. The warriors saw their oncoming enemy and prepared themselves for a fight, a clear growl of frustration could be heard behind the wooden mask as Azula was within two yards of the group. The leader stepped forward to confront the princess, "Stay bac…" was all she could get out before she was thrown over ten feet away. She looked up and saw that Azula was tossing her warriors aside as if they were no more than rag dolls until she was alone with Zin. The princess produced a concentrated flame in her palm until it was almost white, then she took Zin's exposed wrist and cauterized the wound. Azula looked around and upon seeing that the other warriors were keeping their distance, she reluctantly lifted the unconscious girl onto her shoulders and sprinted passed Ty Lee and Mai until she was clear through the smoldering gate followed soon by all the others.

The warriors gladly took back their wounded and felt somewhat at ease until Ty Lee shouted, "Everyone get back!" The reason of this warning became apparent as they turned their attention to Azula: the princess turned her back on the group and stood ridged facing the forest off the road, she pulled her hands into tight fists while her body began to quake. The night air grew incredibly warm around her and everyone felt as if they were in a sauna while her body 

looked like it was going to tare itself apart from the extreme tension. Azula raised her fist and struck the trunk of a tree so large that it would take ten people to just reach around it. From her fist came a blue flame so intense that it ate through the trunk in less than ten seconds. Azula roared so loudly that it could be heard over her jet flames.

The flames ended a little less than a minute from when they started; the alit forest cast Azula in a hellish silhouette while she seethed behind her mask. The warriors retreated far from the turmoil while Mai and Ty Lee stood their ground. _'Is this some kind of trick? I must be, Azula does not make a move unless she knows that she will somehow profit from it… even if it is a long ways away.' _Mai frowned at the prodigy while she collected herself, "Are you about done with your temper tantrum? Now tell us why you have come here unless you wish to die where you stand." Mai flashed her projectiles threateningly. The masked princess turned to look at her would be attacker. She was still breathing heavily when she waved her palm in a signal that they should follow her.

"You can't possibly think we would follow you after seeing what you did. You are evil, and though I have not figured out your plan yet, I am going to make damn sure we won't fall for it." Azula sighed sharply as her frustration was visible through the mask. "I think we will be okay Mai, I mean she has gotten us this far right?" Ty Lee tried a weak smile but Mai only redirected her anger, "How can you defend this murderer after what you've just seen, what she did to us? Or better yet, what she has done to us for almost our whole lives!" Azula shifted uncomfortably at her last comment.

Luckily they were miles away from the prison and even further away from any population so their elevated voices were not heard. "How do you know that she wont just turn around and butcher us like we have seen her do countless times to others!?" Ty Lee was starting to get frustrated as tears welled up in her eyes, "The same ways I knew it was her from the beginning and the same way I knew she would get us passed the gate! Now if you have any clue where we are or if you have a plan then please tell us! If not then lets do what has been working so far!"

The warriors looked at Ty Lee with awe; they had never even seen this bubbly girl so much as frown! Mai turned to the current Kyoshi leader (whom she still didn't know by name) and asked in her dry tone, "What do you guys think?" "You two know her better than us, we will go with 

whatever you decide." Everyone turned back to Azula who was stood with crossed arms impatiently; Ty Lee and Mai didn't need to see her face to know what it looked like. They had seen this pose many times as the princess waited for them to pack their tents or saddle their mongoose-dragons. "Lead the way then your _highness_." Azula ignored Mai's disrespect and turned on her heel to head into the thickest part of the wood.

**Oh how I wanted to add the upcoming flashback into this chapter, but it will be the starter for chapter six! I am not as happy with this as much as my last chapter and I know why: I was trying to parallel the Gaangs reaction to Zuko trying to help to this group's reaction to Azula, but then I remembered how tired I got of that in WAT (Western Air Temple)! I did want more action but then I decided to leave this one as a little breather between battles…hint…hint. I promise that Azula's OOCness will be explained in detail leaving no room for plotholes (I hope). I really wanted to put it in this chapter but it would be almost twice as long. I hope that you all are enjoying this story, please review for any pointers or just to say if you enjoyed it or not. **


	6. Chapter 6

Return of the Blue Spirit Chapter Six

"_Take them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again, and let them rot!"_

_The platform at the Boiling Rock shook with the fury of Azula's voice. Their faces… something in their faces took the cold princess by surprise. Was it defiance? Sadness? Regret? The armored clad prodigy could not think of the faces of traitors while her brother was surely stealing her war zeppelin at this very moment! She ordered a messenger hawk be sent to the nearest Fire Navy ship while she slowly regained control of her limbs. There seemed to be a burning sensation in her chest, she excused her self and found the nearest changing chamber._

_She took off her sleek breast plate with a little difficulty because her arms were not fully functional still. She let the armor drop to the metal floor with a loud clank as she tried to identify the pain. 'It is most likely just a side effect of Ty Lee's attack.' At that thought the pain grew stronger forcing her to clutch the skin and fabric that covered her heart. The princess stretched the collar of her shirt down until the painful section was visible. She looked down and saw no abnormalities so she went to the mirror on the wall to get a better angle. She was surprised by what she saw, not by anything on her chest but by the look on her face. Her eyes were narrowed forcing her brows to almost meet; her nostrils were flared as her lips were pressed into a frown. 'I'm angry!' She thought as she had seen these expressions on others (usually caused by her) but she had never seen it on her face. She knew that sometimes in battle or when a plan falls through by the fault of another that her face could turn to this, but why was is like this now? _

_After a moment she composed her face to be that of sly confidence then she fastened her armor to her torso finding that she had "complete control" of her body once again._

_The Fire Navy ship had arrived, it was old and in desperate need of cleaning but luckily the princess would not have to suffer it long. She boarded the cargo ship and ordered the captain to head straight for the capital, what ever errand he was on could wait. She had gotten so used to the air ships that she had forgotten how slow traveling by sea was. _

_It took less than a full day to reach the capital city. As the princess was walking toward the dock she caught a glimpse of two girls chained back to back on the deck. (Azula stayed in the captains quarters the entire trip). The pain in her chest started again as she realized who the prisoners were. Grabbing the first mate by his collar she disappeared from their line of sight, though she was certain they did not see _

_her. The prodigy's blood felt as if it were boiling while she hissed to her captive, "What are those two doing here!?" She could not understand why she kept her teeth clenched together as she spoke, but that was not important now. "We were told to transfer them to the prison on the other side of the island Milady," squeaked the first mate. 'The prison is not too far from the Palace, what did they think I meant by saying __never seeing their faces again__?' The pain pulsed greater while she said, "Instead of delivering them today, go out to sea and deliver them tomorrow so they do not have any bearings." She meant to say this in her usual voice, but a tone of death came from her lips. The first mate fearfully nodded as she released him. _

'_I must be tired from the trip, that is why I snapped at him,' she assured herself. But she knew, as well as any who have heard her stories about her pursuit of the Avatar, that she could stay collected even after four days with no sleep. 'Mai on the other hand would bite your head off if you tried to even wake her after midday.' Another throb of discomfort tore through the princess's chest forcing her to grasp the rail. 'This is getting out of control.'_

_She retired to her chambers without even reporting to her father, 'He has already been sent a hawk.' She did not try and sleep on the ship but now she did, but for some reason she could not stop tossing and turning. After hours of this Azula gave up and got dressed. She passed a servant on the way and asked, "Why was my mattress substituted for another?" Looking at the ground the servant answered, "Princess forgive me, I do not have any knowledge that such an action has occurred. Forgive me princess." Azula pondered this, "You are forgiven." Sometimes the servants asking for forgiveness at the beginning and end of all their sentences would get annoying, only sometimes though._

_She reported to her father the dealings at the Boiling Rock. Upon ending her report he rose and asked, "As for Mai and Ty, Lee how are you coping?" 'Coping, what is there to cope with? There are just two more prisoners in the world, what was so shocking?' But as the princess was about to answer her chest started to burn making her wince. "Azula?" Ozai's voice thundered as he made his way down to her level. Azula kept her eyes on the floor as she had done thru the full report, "My apologies Lord, I do not understand what there is to cope with. With some time I will be able to find new weapons to fight at my side, nothing will have changed." Her heart was about to tare in two as she felt her eyes start to sting, 'Now my eyes!? Perhaps I have acquired a new allergie that affects the blood stream.' Ozai stared intently at his greatest tool, "I am proud of you Azula; even in the face of betrayal you still feel nothing. You will be great when your day comes, now leave me. I will summon you when the warships set out."Azula lowered her forehead till it touched the cool wood and swiftly took her leave. 'Yes my daughter, you are the greatest weapon in my arsenal. But all weapons grow dull in time, and soon you will have no use.' Ozai turned and ascended back to the throne, awaiting his next pawn. _

_Azula went to her washroom and started to splash the water into her eyes. 'What in the world is happening to me!?' After she was sure that what ever foreign intruder was eradicated from her eyes she went for a walk. She was about to pass the gardens when some invisible force pulled her onto the smooth grass. Confused to why she felt that she needed to come here, Azula turned to leave. But before she took a single step she swore she heard a little giggle from the behind the tiger-tulip bush. Azula knew that giggle, it was one of an eight year old Ty Lee. The pain in her chest came stronger than it had ever before. She turned and surveyed the grounds when memories of childhood pass times flooded her mind: Mai silently blushing behind the tree while Zuko walked by, Ty Lee flipping through the air so often that you would have thought that she was burned every time she touched the ground, and finally herself laughing and having (dare she thought) 'fun'. The invisible needles that invaded her heart for the past day felt as if they were lit on fire as the pain caused Azula to fall on her knees clutching her chest._

_After she composed herself the princess bolted for the royal library. She knew these symptoms, though could not comprehend why she was plagued by them. In the library she found her target, __Emotions and Their Effects. __Long ago she took it upon herself to memorize this text to have a better idea of how to defeat her enemy; the idea was to let them destroy themselves through their illogical feelings. The princess found the chapter, '_Guilt: this emotion comes when the affected person believes they have done something wrong causing them to dwell upon the wronged party and/or on the act. Side effects include insomnia, flashbacks, anger (see page 32) and in some rare cases, death. _'Why do they always have death as a side effect?' _The feeling of guilt can be lifted by apologizing to the "wronged" party or by righting the supposed wrong (i.e. telling the truth after a lie or replacing a broken item.'

_Azula also noticed her own handwriting in the margins: 'Can be used to blackmail, control, or torture.' She placed the memorized text down and thought, 'How could I be feeling guilt? I did not wrong Ty Lee or Mai; they are the ones who betrayed me! I must just be angry at myself because I did not foresee their attack.' _

_It had been almost a week since her trip to the Boiling Rock and her circumstances had not improved in the slightest: every time she lay on her bed it felt like a cold metal floor (causing several new mattresses to be tested), no matter how elegant her meals were she only tasted rotten slop, and even her finest silks scraped against her skin like sandpaper. The pain throbbing from her chest became constant until one day she had enough. _

_It was past noon when she rose from another sleepless rest, the burning pain grew so large that even her back suffered. The princess threw open her closet and tore through it until she found the object, leaving countless treasures scattered across the floor. She then took the item in hand and strode to her mirror _

_that covered an entire wall. She parted her robe enough so that her heart would be covered by nothing but her skin, she then took her item (which was one of Mai's daggers) and sliced her flesh through. Blood trickled down her torso and legs until it puddled on the ground while she continued to run the blade atop her body. Half of her robe was now soaked and clung to her skin like a suckling child to its mother. The prodigy released the dagger finding that she had gone numb from her tormenting pain. All week no one, not even her father, noticed her turmoil. The only difference they had seen was she was a bit more quiet than usual. The Princess placed her fingertips to her wound, 'What have I done? This makes no sense what so ever, that pain is internal so why would this help?' She soon found that it did not serve any more than a few moments of peace until the needles found her heart once again. 'I can't live like this; this is not the way that the future Fire Lord should conduct herself. I must find a permanent solution to this, but what would people think if I apologized to the people who betrayed me? They would think me mad! And what on earth would I say? No, there must be an alternative solution.'_

_It was then, when she turned to change, that she noticed her scattered belongings. And lying amongst them was a blue mask, very simple in design but Azula knew that it would serve her well. She smirked at the irony, 'To one day rule my country, I must appear to be a traitor. Who would have thought?'_

Azula knew that dawn was about to break when they came across a powerful stream, it would be easy enough to cross but now they needed to rest. The group took Azula's hint and they stopped to make camp. The warriors set out to find supplies to make an impromptu stretcher so they would not have to carry Zin one by one anymore. Ty Lee rushed to the water to finally wash her face clean of the ash while Mai went out of sight and took the mud and smeared it on her exposed forearm. Zin had a slight fever but seemed to be doing alright. No infection was showing on her wound thanks to Azula, but no one approached her about it for fear that she would loose control again and burn down half the wood. It was decided that they would rest until dusk, using the darkness to their advantage.

Azula stayed at a distance from the others until Mai came forward, "Don't think that we are going to let you out of our sights for a minute!" Mai attempted to grab the princess's arm but quickly found herself in a struggle of grabs. Both girls had experience skills at holds which made this conflict all the more interesting. The moment one thought they had a hold of the other; they would have to release in order to block an oncoming attempt to hold them still. Finally the masked princess made it behind the blade master and got hold of her forearm, locking her in a hold. With one hand holding Mai's arm so it would cause considerable pain if she tried to move and her other hand pressed against the slender girl's back, Azula forced her to her knees. "I hate you," Mai sneered without attempting to look at her captor. Azula leaned forward till her mask was almost touching her prey's ear, "Do you hate me for what I've done, or because I'm not Zuko?"

With those words the prodigy departed from Mai with a final shove that left the shocked girl in the dirt. The warriors scurried to help he knife thrower up, not noticing where Azula went. Mai seemed to be in a daze when the warriors noticed that Ty Lee was missing.

Ty Lee followed her princess through the trees at a distance trying to be sure she was not detected. A few minutes passed while she tried to be as silent as possible jumping from branch to branch, '_We must be miles from the others by now._' It was then, on a thick limb of a timber oak tree, Azula finally stopped. Ty Lee stayed back in the shadows watching the princess sit cross legged at the base of the branch, _'Is she meditating!?' _Ty Lee waited for the moment that Azula would remove her mask, but it never came.

At least a half of an hour went by with the princess never moving a muscle. Ty Lee ran out of patience and decided to take matters into her own hands. With stealth beyond anything she had accomplished before, the acrobat moved to the firebender's tree. She climbed to the branch hovering over Azula's and wrapped her legs around it. She then slid upside down to face the princess. The loudest sound within miles was Ty Lee's heart while she gazed into those hollow eyes, trying to find anything familiar. _'She could be staring right back at me for all I know,'_ Ty Lee thought as she reached her trembling hands to the blue mask. Her fingers felt like they were on fire when she was just a breath away from revealing the identity of this Spirit when… "Don't." Ty Lee's heart skipped a beat while she lost her grip with her legs and flopped down in front of Azula. Her head was still upside down while the rest of her body fell on top of her, leaving Ty Lee in a very silly and awkward position.

Azula remained unmoved as if nothing had happened at all. Red-faced, Ty Lee quickly tried to compose herself while calming her racing heart. "I...I'm…sorry, I…" Ty Lee rambled. "How did you know it was me?" Azula's tone was as commanding and powerful as before, but there was something that seemed off. Ty Lee grinned shyly with a response, "I keep telling you and Mai that I can read auras but do you believe me? Nooooooooooo…" "I thought auras were used detect the mood of someone." Azula cut her off. "An aura is just another face; each face is unique and can show the emotions of what the person is feeling. And this is a face that you can't hide behind a mask." Ty Lee added with her signature grin. For the first time in almost an hour Azula moved, turning her head to the side, "It seems I have underestimated you again."

Ty Lee could see new turmoil brewing in her princess's soul, she didn't know whether to run away or bring her old friend into her embrace. She had never seen Azula in so much pain, but physically it seemed Azula felt nothing at all, _'How can she keep all that in?'_

"Azula, I think I know why you are keeping the mask on. You think that if you don't show your face, or that you only see us through those eyes, that you don't have to confront the fact that you are doing the opposite what your mind is programmed to do. Then maybe, when all this is over you can just tell yourself it was a very vivid dream. But Azula, you can't keep all this inside. It will tare you apart." Ty Lee almost seemed to be pleading with the princess. Azula tensed at her words, "You are wrong, I will never be ruled by weak emotions. This is no different than any other feeling that has dared to cross my path." Ty Lee wondered if she was even talking to her anymore, "But Azula, you can't always keep locking away your emotions; they are your humanity. Eventually the dungeon you keep inside will burst and you will be overwhelmed." Azula shifted at her comments, revealing _fear_ in the young woman's aura. "Oh Azula, I am worried about you!" Ty Lee proclaimed as tears clouded her vision. Azula turned to her old friend and sighed, "Ty Lee, I'm not the one you should be worried about…" Azula shot up quick as lightning as she grabbed the acrobat and pinned her hand over her mouth, preventing hardly any whimpers to escape her iron grasp.

**I separated the original chapter six so this chapter could focus mostly on Azula's flashback. I think I failed at providing humor (humor had never been a strong point for me except for dark humor). I am sorry for the lack of action but there is plenty to come. Please review and enjoy. **


	7. Chapter 7

Return of the Blue Spirit Chapter Seven

With wide eyes Ty Lee struggled against Azula, she was about to hit her pressure points when Azula whispered, "Quiet, Rough Rhinos." Ty Lee immediately ceased her struggle as the mounted barbarians came into view. There were only five of them; the archer, the bomb specialist, the bearded man with the spear, the dark man with his mace on a chain, and their leader. "We have time; they have not found the trail yet." The two girls made their way back to camp in a quickened pace. "What did you mean that you are not the one that I should be worrying about?" Ty Lee inquired. With one word Azula confirmed Ty Lee's greatest fears, "Mai."

Mai tried hard to sleep along with the Kyoshi Warriors but her mind was racing, _'Could Azula be right? No, if anything I am glad that she was not Zuko with that bloodlust.' _Mai sat up and thought, _'How could you do this Azula? You took him away from me before, was once not good enough for you!? You were a sick freak as a child and you have only grown worse. I curse the day I met you!' _Mai repositioned herself and thought of those early years when Azula (sick freak as she was) would genuinely look out for them. _'No, every time she thought she was helping she was just hurting people. That is all she can do, that is why she chose the Blue Spirit as a disguise; to raise my low hopes and crash them into a bottomless pit… Then again… how else would I have trusted her to get me out of prison?' _Mai was so engulfed in her thoughts that she did not notice two figures emerging from the wood.

Ty Lee quickly and quietly got the warriors up and briefed them on the situation, "We have about an hour ahead of the rhinos; is that enough time to get to the destination?" Azula nodded and Ty Lee continued to describe each of the opponents and skills while helping destroy evidence of the camp. _'Since when did Ty Lee turn into such a leader? No doubt from my example,' _Azula thought in pride of her old friend (and herself). The group could move much quicker now that they had a stretcher for Zin, who was somewhat coherent at this time.

They were about to head out when Mai called out, "You guys go ahead south; we will catch up." Azula, thinking that Mai wanted to speak to Ty Lee, was about to depart with the others until, "Wait Azula, I need to speak to you." Azula's confusion could be seen even with her mask, _'Now? She wants to talk now? How about we talk when we are not being tracked by an arsenal on rhinos?' _Azula kept these thoughts to herself as her impatience was dually noted. Ty Lee stayed back with them in case she had to intervene. "I am not saying that I trust you," her remark was met with a frustrated or impatient sigh (they are very hard to tell apart, even for Mai), "But just on the slim chance that this is not a trap… I just wanted to say thank you." There was no emotion in her statement, but the message was received. Azula stood startled for a moment until she clenched her hands into fists again and started to shake. This was 

much more minute than her outburst the night before, but she still had to take a moment to calm herself. "…Azula?" Mai asked confused. Azula snapped her attention back to the knife thrower and nodded as an acceptance of her gratitude. She then leaped across the stream to catch up with the warriors.

Mai stood on the edge of the stream about to jump over when she was forced into the water by her companion. Ty Lee made her way over the water with graceful ease while she watched Mai emerge looking like a drowned cat-mouse. "What the hell was that for!?" Mai demanded when Ty Lee offered her a hand to get up. Mai reluctantly grasped her friend's offer; but instead of pulling her friend up, Ty Lee flipped Mai's arm to show under her exposed forearm. Tears were in the acrobat's eyes even before she saw the mutilations, but now they freely flowed down her cheeks as she tried (in vain) to suppress her sobbing. Mai's eyes were wide in fear at the look of the crying girl, a prang of guilt struck a deep cord in her living corpse. "Ty Lee, please…" Mai begged her friend to stop crying while trying to free her arm from the contortionist's death grip. The sound of a loud firecracker echoed through the wood as Mai's head snapped to the side with a large red handprint on her cheek. Every bird ceased chirping, the wind paused in mid gust, and even the stream seemed to have lost its voice as the wood had gone silent save for a few soft sobs from Ty Lee. _'She slapped me… Ty Lee slapped me!' _Mai could not even move from her frozen state of shock, in fact she could barley take in a breath while the sting set in.

Ty Lee fell to her knees taking Mai's face into her hands, forcing her to look into Ty Lee's grey eyes. "How could you do it? How could you hurt my friend!?" Ty Lee's gaze bore through Mai's soul as she stammered, "Ty Lee… _I'm_ your friend?" Ty Lee's face then turned so stern that she was almost unrecognizable, "EXACTLY! How could you?" Unbearable silence consumed them until Mai could not keep her gaze and lowered her head, shielding her eyes with her bangs. Ty Lee let go of her anger with a comforting smile as she brought her forehead to meet her friend's. "It's alright; everything is going to be alright." Ty Lee tore off one of her own sleeves and wrapped it gently around Mai's injuries. The acrobat pulled her soaked friend to her feet with a smile.

They walked in silence following the trail of the others until a dark figure leaped out of the branches landing in front of them. "Where have you two been!?" Azula demanded before she got a look at the two: a drenched Mai with an improvised bandage on her arm, and a tear stained Ty Lee with one sleeve missing. She did not have to think hard about what took place, _'They have the absolute worst timings for these things!' _"The Rhino's are flanking us from the east; they are going to take you before you reach the shore if we don't hurry!" Azula said the last part in mid run while Mai was taken aback, "The shore? That is where we're going?" The three girls broke into a full sprint to the south; they were running for close to ten minutes when they could hear the cries of battle.

The Kyoshi Warriors were ambushed on the shore. Mai and Ty Lee took in the entire scene: White sand decorated in crimson with the waves drinking in the blood, seven girls fighting four mounted men with one (the bomber) already down, and behind them all… a boat. It was an average boat that could easily have been Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom, it was made so two people could run it but up to fifteen could fit. _'She certainly plans ahead,'_ Mai thought with a smirk as she grasped her remaining arrowheads and fired. Ty Lee leaped (and literally _leaped_) right in while the princess attacked from the rear. The dark man was swinging his chain-mace readying it for a killing blow on one of the warriors. Right when he was going to release, Azula shot a flame to his arm causing him to attack the bearded spearmen by accident. The dark man looked at his friend with horror as his mace was completely engorged by the man's skull. With a heavy thud the lifeless body fell from his mount, causing the rhino to flee with his master in tow. Now without a weapon Ty Lee easily paralyzed the dark man. Mai focused her sights on the archer who had already missed her three times. She claimed his discarded arrows and flung then back to their owner where they sunk deep into his torso, causing him to fall limp into his saddle.

Now the only Rough Rhino left was the firebending leader specializing in fist weapons. Azula would have to take him down since the warriors were exhausted, Ty Lee could not get close enough, and Mai was out o ammo. This did not faze the prodigy in the slightest, _'I have always wondered if his skills were really as great as the stories.' _The two faced off, "If it isn't the Blue Spirit! I have heard of you, though I had always imagined you taller." This caused Ty Lee to giggle." I have always wondered if your skill is really as great as the stories." _'Looks like we can find out together.' _He was first to attack; he shot a massive ball of fire toward the masked princess which she easily deflected. She preformed a frontward tumble and emerged less then a foot away from the man. He tried to dodge her attacks, but she was too quick and he found himself rolling on his back. She was about to move in for the killing blow when he managed to perform an uppercut in mid roll. His strength plus the added momentum threw the princess back causing her mask to come undone. Time slowed as Azula's face was reviled while she fell back from the hit. A trickle of blood came down out of her mouth as she regained her balance. Her opponent froze in his boots, his eyes looking like they would pop out of his skull at any moment. For the first time in three days, Azula's face was shown. Her hair curtained down as it flowed in the breeze. It would have been a beautiful scene if she hadn't had the look of death in her eyes.

The prodigy collected energy into her fingertips as she prepared the lightning. The on lookers did not know what was more chilling; the great clasp of thunder that sounded, or the man's hellish scream. Her prey had been reduced to a smoldering black creature that could not have been recognized by his own mother. Ty Lee was about to be sick when she saw that the man's chest had exploded and left a great hollow hole in his midsection. The wooden mask was many yards away from the princess as she strode over to the paralyzed opponent. "Princess, please have mercy! We did not know it was you! Please spare me!" The group had to turn their heads as horrific gurgled screams came from the dark man until a deafening _snap_ ended his struggle. No one knew exactly what Azula did, but seeing as the princess's gloved hand now dripped with blood, they had a pretty good idea.

Azula did not turn to the group; she just stood over her victim and seethed. Ty Lee and Mai glanced at each other unsure of what to do. "What are you waiting for? Go!" Azula snapped without moving. Ty Lee picked up the wooden mask and walked to her old friend. "Azula, look at us…please." The princess hesitated but finally turned to face the prisoners that she freed. All eyes were on her, and for once she hated it. Behind her stunning gold eyes was something terrifying, even Mai could see that. Azula eyed the blue mask in Ty Lee's grasp; Ty Lee noticed this but took no heed. "What now Azula?" Mai asked with a hint of feeling. The princess scoffed, "What now? There is a boat, what do _you _think comes next?" She never made eye contact with any of them, only looked out on the water as if empty the space was more interesting than the rag tag band before her. "But what about you? Are you coming with us?" Ty Lee asked in the most innocent voice she could muster. Azula's face showed some sign of hurt, _'I wish I could…Wait, no I don't! But things going back to the way they were would be heaven. Who am I kidding; things will never go back… just look at what they have seen me doing!' _Azula crossed her arms and shifted her weight, "Please, I would be caught dead before I'm seen on that piece of garbage with you peasants and traitors." The warriors found her behavior to be extremely odd and almost frightening, but Mai and Ty Lee knew what was going on.

"But… this isn't goodbye, is it?" Azula looked at the acrobat and sadness filled her golden eyes, if only for a second. Ty Lee could not resist any longer, she lunged at her princess with one of her bone crushing hugs. She ignored the blood soaking into her cloths from Azula's and the fact that she was causing considerable pain to her captive by squeezing where she was hit with an arrow.

'_Just hug her back, it is not that hard. This may be the last chance I get. Why is this so painful!? Damn these stinging eyes!' _Azula's arms rose, but instead of returning her friend's embrace, she violently shoved the acrobat to the sand while taking back the mask. She shot a wave of blue fire at the group, too weak to do any damage but strong enough to get the point across. "Do not misinterpret my actions here. I do not care about the freedom or welfare of any here, on the contrary really. The only reason I have done this is so I will not be bored after my father and I burn the Earth Kingdom down when the comet comes. And I figure tracking you all down one by one and disposing of you would be fairly good sport for a week or two."

Azula pulled her hood up and fastened her mask back on, "Happy Hunting." And in a ball of fire, Azula was gone.

Some of the warriors helped Ty Lee back to her feet, "I guess she really is evil. Only freeing us to hunt us down like animals, I didn't think it was possible but maybe some people are just born bad." Mai looked 

lazily at the warrior who spoke, "You can not honestly be that stupid can you? She just saved us again, Sozin's Comet is in a week and she said that the Fire Lord would burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground that day so…" Mai searched the girls face for any sign of understanding, and when finding none, "She just told us not to be in the Earth Kingdom in a week." Mai sighed as the warriors finally got it.

Ty Lee stared into the cooling flames where Azula disappeared when Mai came next to her, "She will be okay, she's tough." Ty Lee gave a weak smile, "Her body is, I'm worried about her heart." Their sights were turned away from the charred wood by the warrior's awe of the boat. Confused of what was so amazing about a shabby hunk of wood like this, the Fire Nation natives made their way on deck. The warriors were crammed in the lower deck (if you could call it that) gawking at the treasures before them; piles of all three currencies of the Water Tribe, Earth kingdom, and Fire Nation were glittering in the sunlight. Also amongst the money were the Fire Nation girl's clothes and Mai's daggers.

It was decided that they should go to Kyoshi Island where it would be far enough away from the mainland that the Fire Nation would not bother with it. They pushed off and found some food in the cabin. Everyone was exited, even Zin who was wide awake by now. Ty Lee and Mai took a last look at the battle field, both sure that dark hollow eyes were staring back at them (and somehow they were reassured by that). "How in the world are we going to explain this?" Ty Lee wondered. "I'll just say my uncle pulled some strings, I don't think _anyone _would believe the truth." Mai stated with a smirk. "We still need to talk," Ty Lee stated nudging Mai's bandaged arm.

'_Out of sight and out of mind,"_ Azula thought as she watched the peasants and traitors disappear from view, _'Farwell; I pray we never meet again, for your sake.'_

Azula ran to the top of the crater that surrounded the Palace City. She found her marked stone and unearthed it revealing her palace robe. The princess quickly donned her ruby robe over the black and blood stained cloths. She removing the mask and her gloves and easily concealed them in the fabric (clearly a talent learned from Mai).

The city was just waking to the morning as Azula traveled to the Palace; she kept her hood up as to not attract attention, though she doubted that many would recognize her with her hair down. The guards let the princess enter with a bow as she ascended the steps to her home. Lo and Li sat in anticipation outside the Palace doors, "Princess Azula, welcome back," "We hope you search was productive," "The Fire Lord wants a report as quickly as possible," "About any findings of your brother." Azula strode passed the wrinkled women without giving them a single glance. "I am going to bed, no disturbances."

Her father would not press the matter until she was rested; even he knew that two days of strife could drain even the strongest of bodies. A strange feeling of added weight fell upon her body as she entered her chambers. _'Now, perhaps I can get some sleep,' _Azula thought as she lit her fireplace with a flick of a wrist. Her body seemed sluggish while her head became light. _'This must be exhaustion from my lack of rest.' _She grasped at her arrow wound that rubbed painfully against the wrappings she used to hide her more… _feminine _features. The princess rummaged through her robes causing the wooden mask to fall to the ground. '_This is too dangerous to keep now. Pity, it could have been a valuable weapon against Zuzu.' _The princess's legs felt like they fallen asleep, causing Azula to stumble while she walked. The room danced before the prodigy's eyes as she found her way to the fireplace, she took one last look at the blue mask and found three pairs of eyes looking back at her. Azula let the mask fall into the fire in a swarm of blue flames while she herself lost consciousness and fell limply to the floor.

Azula felt ground beneath her form but did not know where she was. She tried to open her eyes but became noxious from the swirling blurs. "Wha… what happened? Where am I?" Azula whispered so softly that she could barley hear herself. "_You are going through a metamorphosis my daughter," _Azula could not believe what she was hearing… it was the voice of her mother and father speaking as one; Ursa and Ozai's voices where in such unison that there was no way that they had come from separate speakers. With great struggle, Azula opened her eyes to see a blurred silhouette, it was impossible to tell if it was her mother or father. "_This will not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it you will become the terrible monster you were always meant to be.' _The helpless princess attempted in vain to speak to her parent before her eyes rolled back, loosing consciousness once again.

**I split chapter six in two so I could have this ending. Just one chapter left until this story is over. I hope you all are enjoying this, please review and tell me what I can do better. And yes, that **_**was **_**a friendly jab at all the Avatards who thought that it was Ursa in front of the blue flames in the NYCC finale trailer.**

**I do not own Avatar, Mike and Bryan do… and Nick owns them. **


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